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Wildcats whomp Wolverines

TEMPE, Ariz. — During a team meeting earlier in the week, Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder requested everyone in the room who had won a bowl game to raise their hands.

Nobody did.

Those hands can go up now.

Jake Waters tossed three touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett and Kansas State earned its first bowl win in 11 years following a 31-14 pasting of Devin Gardner-less Michigan in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

The Wildcats had lost all five of their postseason games since beating Arizona State in the 2002 Holiday Bowl, including the Cotton and Fiesta Bowl the last two years.

“It has been 11 years, 4,018 games. We wanted to send the seniors out with a great win in a Kansas State uniform,” the junior Lockett said.

Waters and Lockett hooked up for scores on each of Kansas State’s (8-5) first three drives to help the Wildcats jump out to a comfortable lead.

They never looked back.

Lockett caught 10 passes for 116 yards, John Hubert carried the ball 16 times for 80 yards and a touchdown and Waters was 21-of-27 for 271 yards in the triumph.

After losing several key assets to last year’s Big 12-winning squad — including Heisman finalist quarterback Collin Klein and linebacker Arthur Brown — a bowl appearance appeared bleak following a 2-4 start that included a season-opening loss to FCS member North Dakota State.

The Wildcats, though, turned the year around by winning five of their last six tilts to earn a bowl bid.

True freshman Shane Morris, filling in for Gardner, who was nursing a foot injury, completed 24-of-38 passes for 196 yards with an interception for Michigan (7-6), which began the season 5-0 before losing six of its last eight to close the campaign.

Morris had thrown just nine passes, all in mop-up duty, coming into the tilt.

Kansas State saw four possessions and the Wolverines just three in a fast- moving first half.

The Wildcats took 7:41 off the clock on their opening 14-play, 75-yard drive. Waters found Lockett in the front left corner of the end zone from six yards out on a 3rd-and-goal to conclude the march.

Michigan’s first series stalled inside the 10 and Matt Wile booted through a 22-yard field goal.

Lockett’s 29-yard TD catch on a double move along the left sideline preceded another Wile field goal, this one from 26 yards to pull Michigan within 14-6 midway through the second. The Wolverines’ offense again stalled inside the 10.

Waters hit fullback Glenn Gronkowski for a 46-yard gain over the middle on a run-pass option play before hooking up with Lockett again a few plays later, this one an 8-yard back-shoulder fade, to cap the series and give the Wildcats a 21-6 spread late in the second.

Ian Patterson missed a 40-yard field goal on Kansas State’s initial touch of the second half, but the Wolverines could only muster one first down over their next two drives.

Patterson made it 24-6 after connecting on a 22-yard field goal early in the fourth.

Morris was intercepted by Dante Barnett on Michigan’s next possession and he returned the pick 51 yards to the 7-yard line. Hubert punched it in from a yard out for the game-cliching score with 2:25 left.

Fitzgerald Toussaint had a 3-yard TD run for Michigan to conclude the scoring.

“We didn’t play well enough in a lot of areas,” Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke said.

Game Notes

This was the first ever meeting between the schools … Kansas State outgained Michigan, 420-261 … Michigan leading receiver Jeremy Gallon had nine receptions for 89 yards.

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